America's Got Talent Winners

The America's Got Talent winners are a small but diverse group of people. Since this competition style reality TV show showcases a variety of different talents, the finalists and winners have brought many different presentations to the exciting finales of the series so far.

A ventriloquist is among the America's Got Talent winners.

America's Got Talent airs on the NBC network. It is similar to other talent-based reality TV shows, such as American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. The main difference is that anyone can audition, no matter what their particular talent is. The show features three judges who rate and provide feedback to a group of contestants who audition for a spot on the show.

Those who pass the initial auditions move on and perform for all of America. Viewers get to vote each week on their favorites, with acts being eliminated in each round until the finale. In the end, only one act per season can join the pool of America's Got Talent winners.

The first season of America's Got Talent aired in 2006, and was hosted by Regis Philbin. The judges for this season were David Hasselhoff, Piers Morgan, and singer/actress Brandy. The final five acts for this season were:

• Celtic Spring – A family act who performed Irish dancing and fiddling
• Taylor Ware – A yodeler who was eleven years old
• All That – A group of dancers who did clogging
• The Millers – Two brothers who performed musical numbers on guitar and harmonica
• Bianca Ryan – An eleven year old singer

The winner of this first America's Got Talent season was Bianca Ryan. She took home a one million dollar prize rather than the opportunity to play her show in Las Vegas because of her young age.

Season two of America's Got Talent welcomed a new host, talk show guru Jerry Springer. One of the judges, Brandy, was also replaced. Sharon Osborne, who impressed viewers on her family's reality TV show The Osbournes, joined Hasselhoff and Morgan as the third judge.

The show was changed up a little bit. Instead of a final five viewers were presented with a final four. They were:

• Julienne Irwin – A 14 year old singer
• Butterscotch – A beatbox dancer and singer
• Cas Haley – A singer and guitarist
• Terry Fator – A ventriloquist and entertainer

Terry Fator handily won this second season, and the million dollar prize. He is currently headlining a show at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, for which he signed a five-year, $100 million contract.

Once again, the format changed slightly in season three, this time to accommodate a longer season with extra audition rounds. The final five for this season included:

• Queen Emily – A singer
• Donald Braswell – An opera singer
• Nuttin' But Stringz – A hip hop act that played classical string instruments
• Eli Mattson – A singer and piano player
• Neal E. Boyd – An opera singer

Neal E. Boyd was the winner of season three of America's Got Talent. He won a million dollars, plus one headline show in Las Vegas. He released his first CD, entitled My American Dream, in 2009.

This third season of the show came under fire for showcasing too many singers and not providing enough of a variety in the finalists.

Season four of America's Got Talent is underway, and once again there is a new host. Comedian Nick Cannon has joined the cast, replacing Jerry Springer. The final five acts for season four are:

• Drew Stevyns – A singer and guitarist
• Barbara Padilla – An opera singer
• Recycled Percussion – A musical group that plays recycled items as percussion instruments
• The EriAm Sisters – Trio of singers
• Erik and Rickie – Eight year old ballroom dancers

A fifth season of America's Got Talent has been confirmed, and will air in the summer of 2010.

The keep up with America's Got Talent, review performances, and see who the winners are, visit the official site at NBC.com.

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